Senate Bill 629 (2009 Session of the Maryland General Assembly), effective July 1, 2009,
changes the Board of Education of Harford County from a fully appointed Board to an
elected-appointed Board consisting of six elected members and three members appointed by the
Governor of the State of Maryland for four-year terms to be phased in over a period of time.
For details on Senate Bill 629, visit mlis.state.md.us. In addition, there is a student
representative to the Board who serves a one-year term while a high school senior. The student
is elected by the Harford County Regional Association of Student Councils.

Regular meetings of the Board of Education are normally held on the second and fourth Monday of each month (except July and August) at 6:30 p.m. at various school locations.
Special meetings may also be held thoughout the year. All meetings are
announced in advance in the newspapers or the HCPS web site and in other print/electronic
media including the Harford Cable Network. Meetings are open to the public unless otherwise
announced.

If you wish to appear before the board, please complete a request form and return
it to the Manager of Communications before the meeting begins. Please note
the following time restrictions for public comments. Three minutes - Individual.
Five minutes - Group Representation.

To request disability-related reasonable accommodations, please call (410) 838-7300
voice, 7-1-1 TTY or e-mail Jillian.Lader@hcps.org
at least three days prior to the meeting/event.

The Audit Committee’s primary duties and responsibilities as established by the Audit Committee Charter are to: serve as an independent and objective party to monitor the District’s financial reporting process and internal controls; review and appraise the efforts of the external auditors, financial and senior management and the Internal Auditor; and provide an open avenue of communication among the external auditors, financial and senior management, the Internal Auditor and the Board.

The Office of Internal Audit is responsible for assisting the Board of Education of Harford County and Harford County Public Schools by providing objective reviews of operations to confirm efficient and effective use of resources, improve internal controls, and strengthen Harford County Public Schools operations. The main objective is to add transparency and accountability of HCPS, its leaders and employees. The Board of Education of Harford County has established the Office of Internal Audit through the Office of Internal Audit’s Board Policy. Additionally, the Board approved the Office of Internal Audit Charter to define the internal audit activity’s purpose, authority, and responsibility.

Annual Audit Plan

Each year, the Office of Internal Audit submits its risk based annual audit plan to the Board of Education of Harford County for its approval. The Audit Plan communicates the internal audit activity's plans for the year. All significant changes will be communicated to the Board of Education and senior management.

Organizationally the Office of Internal Audit reports to the Board of Education of Harford County. The Audit Committee is a group of citizens and Board Members who provide additional guidance to the Office of Internal Audit. The Audit Committee serves to promote, maintain, and enhance the independence and objectivity of the internal audit function by ensuring broad audit coverage, adequate consideration of audit reports, and appropriate action on recommendations.

The Internal Auditor’s primary objective is to improve Harford County Public Schools’ operations. If you are aware of misuse of HCPS resources, we would like to know so that the matter can be investigated. You can reach the fraud hotline by telephone, mail or email. All come directly to the Internal Auditor. When contacting the Fraud Hotline, please provide as many details as possible, including who, what, when, why and how. We may want to contact you for additional information. We will take appropriate precautions to keep your report confidential.